In golf iron club head manufacture, it is understood that the club head embodies what, in golf parlance, is known as a "sweet spot" acknowledged to be the medial location of the club head ball-striking inclined surface bounded in a vertical perspective between a top and a bottom edge and in a horizontal perspective between a toe and a heel. Exemplifying this understanding is U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,131 issued to D. Clayton Long on May 5, 1992, and more particularly the discussion in col. 2, lines 39-60. The thrust of the Long patent, and numerous other prior patents, is to contribute to sweet spot-enhancement, usually by an increase in the area thereof, so that the contact of the striking surface with the golf ball occurs in the sweet spot, either directly or in the increased occupied area thereof. It is postulated in this prior patented literature that "A golf club with a larger sweet spot on the striking face helps compensate for an off-center shot by a golfer . . . a reduction of the twisting and other vibrational forms of energy loss experienced from a shot hit on the striking face at a point other than the center of mass" (Long, col. 2, lines 52-54, 57-60).
All known prior art efforts at sweet spot-enhancement contemplate adding weight to the club head in clearance locations to the sweet spot, such as to the left and right thereof in the toe and heel respectively, with the expectation that this will contribute to optimum height in the trajectory and length and direction in the flight of the struck golf ball. While some ball-striking efficacy might result, it is believed that significantly all that occurs is that the overall weight of the club head is increased and the golfer is provided with a heavier golf club to use which, for the size and stature of the golfer and for the golfer's playing ability, might not be appropriate, unless the starting weight of the golf club is selected to factor in the added weight.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved weighted golf iron club head overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. More particularly, it is an object to achieve, using weight distribution, sweet spot-enhancement, i.e. significant improvement in the ball-striking efficacy of the club head, while maintaining the same starting overall weight of the club head and, even more important, without detracting from the club head configuration as it relates to its intended end use, namely hitting a golf ball.